Biblical strongman Samson leaves České Budějovice for historic Prague Castle exhibit

The legendary statue of Samson is leaving the South Bohemian capital of České Budějovice for the first time ever. Since 1990, the original has been stored inside the city’s town hall, a couple meters away from its original location. Now it is travelling to Prague Castle, where it will become part of the exhibition ‘Vltava: famed and flowing’.

Samson's Fountain in České Budějovice|Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

For almost three centuries, the water-spouting statue of Biblical strongman Samson wrestling a lion stood atop the fountain on the central square of Přemysl Otakar II in České Budějovice. Only 35 years ago did the historic statue get replaced by a copy, and moved into more regulated conditions inside the museum section of the city’s town hall.

On Thursday morning, a team of restorers gathered in front of the building to load the historic statue into a box truck, which will transport it to the nation’s capital – the very first time the statue has left České Budějovice. Jan Kracík, who was part of that working group, sheds light on the process:

“The statue is laid down horizontally. It had to be lowered from its vertical position and prepared for transport, in a way that it could handle the long journey to Prague. Beneath it there are soft pads that prevent the nylon straps, which hold the statue in place, from damaging it. When they are tightened, they can exert a lot of force and could possibly damage one of the beautiful sculpted elements,” he explains.

Photo: Kristýna Barchini, Czech Radio

Helping out with the moving process are students from the Academy of Fine Arts College in Prague. After all, the limestone statue is 2.5 meters tall, and weighs about 1.5 tons. Despite its imposing parameters, Kracík is confident of a smooth operation:

Photo: Kristýna Barchini, Czech Radio

“Hopefully nothing terrible happens from this point onwards. The worst is already behind us. In Prague we'll just repeat the process, but in reverse,” he says.

Along with the Samson statue, another two items are travelling from České Budějovice to Prague – a tapestry by Marie Hoppe-Teinitzerová, and a painting by Karel Stehlík. They will be part of the roughly 500 artefacts on display at the exhibition titled ‘Vltava: famed and flowing’.

Starting next month, on September 5, up until January 4, 2026, the exhibition at Prague Castle will be open to public. The National Heritage Institute is organizing this temporary display in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Vltava symphony, also known as The Moldau, by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.

Photo: Kristýna Barchini, Czech Radio

The composition metaphorically follows the course of the Vltava River, which not only runs through Prague, but also through České Budějovice. Petr Pavelec, historian and curator of the upcoming exhibition, explains that water from the Vltava River is also what animated the historic statue of Samson:

“Until the twentieth century, when the statue on the fountain was replaced, millions of hectoliters of Vltava water flowed through the throat of the lion which Samson is fighting. It is an icon of this city, which has always been in direct contact with the Vltava River. With a bit of exaggeration we can say that today we chained Samson, a Biblical strongman. But, we bound him with full respect, because we know that he is a hero,” he says.

In Biblical history, the figure of Samson was the last leader of the ancient tribes of Israel, as per the Book of Judges. He was gifted with extreme strength, which allowed him to perform superhuman feats, including slaying a lion with his bare hands – a scene depicted in the sculpture. The statue was created by sculptor Josef Dietrich between the years 1724 and 1726. The fountain, which it stood on top of, was completed a year later.

Since 1960, Samson is also the name of the second largest brewery in České Budějovice, following a rebranding of the city-owned brewery from 1795. Budweiser Budvar beer remains the town’s most prolific merchandise, exported to 76 countries around the world.